Reasonable Cause
by eemmaatt33
Summary: Sarah Dermott has worked with Child Protection Services for over eight years and never has she seen a case like this. Warning: Child abuse and hints of violence.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **I do not own _Kid vs Kat_; all rights reserved to Rob Boutilier and Studio B Productions. This is a not for profit, fan told story.

This story is rated T for some violence, dark scenes and hints of child abuse. It is set during season one, the rating may change.

You may have noticed that my previous story, _Kid vs Kat: The Untold Story _or aka_ Understanding,_ has been deleted. I wasn't happy with the quality of writing and was no longer content to continue it. I hope you enjoy this story better.

Please remember to review, as I thrive on constructive criticism!

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**Prologue**

The hospital loomed over Sarah, as the morning clouds formed ominous shadows over the building. The glass double doors were clean, reflecting the image of an exhausted thirty year old woman. They opened automatically as she approached, her high heels clacking over the stone pathway. Inside the entrance hall were bland white walls and scuffed carpets. Walking over to the receptionist, Sarah clutched her leather purse close to her side and shuffled the papers she held in her hand.

"Excuse me, but I'm here to see a patient in Room 26D. You should've received a call from CPS; my name's Sarah Dermott."

Sarah placed her handbag on the counter, and began to rummage through its items. Revealing a couple of crumbled papers and a laminated picture of herself, she slipped her identification across to the receptionist. The receptionist raised an eyebrow in amusement and checked Sarah's papers to her own, smiling brightly when they matched.

"Yes, a Sarah Dermott from Child Protection Services. Room 26D is on the fourth floor, if you just take the elevator down the hall to your right, you should have no problem."

"Thanks."

Sarah grabbed her identification and quickly stuffed it back inside her purse. She walked with a purposeful stride and entered an empty elevator. She relaxed and leaned against the mirrored wall, not one to be scared of small spaces.

As the elevator slowly took Sarah up to the fourth floor, she glanced at the folder in her hand. Quickly refreshing her memory of the name and details of the child in question, she looked up at the ding of doors opening.

Placing the papers back inside the manila folder, she followed the empty corridor, counting the room numbers as she passed.

"Twenty-four, twenty-five, ah room twenty-six D," she muttered.

A nurse wearing a white tunic with royal blue epaulettes stepped out of the room, hastily scribbling something on a clipboard.

"Excuse me nurse, I'm from CPS and I'm currently investigating a case that involves your patient. Could you give me a copy of the injuries inflicted and the report of how they occurred?"

The stout nurse looked up and scrutinised Sarah's appearance.

"Could I see your ID first?"

"Of course."

After handing over her credentials and receiving more paperwork to place in her folder, she had a quick read of the medical report.

"We have reason to believe that this child has been subjected to abuse. These types of injuries are inflicted with a high level of malice," the nurse stated.

"Yes, it's quite unfortunate, but an investigation has been set on its way and we hope to find the perpetrator or perpetrators. Violence against children is always horrible."

"It is. I have a daughter the same age and I could never even imagine hurting her!"

"So how is the patient?" Sarah asked the strict nurse.

"The little trooper is resting at the moment; his father is currently with him. The injuries he sustained will likely keep him here for the following two weeks."

Reading off the report, Sarah felt saddened by the damage that was inflicted on this poor little boy.

"Two cracked ribs, one being reset due to pressure put on his right lung. A fractured collar bone. A broken arm. Several bruises around the neck and chest area. With small scratches littering almost eighty percent of his body. This kid has had a rough time."

There was silence between the two women.

"Do you think he'd be alright to answer some questions?"

"He should be able to. It's been a couple of days since his operation and he has a steady supply of pain killers."

Sarah thanked the nurse and was about to enter the room, when she felt a hand grab her arm.

"Just one more thing, Ms Dermott."

"Yes?"

"Just be wary when you go in there. The father's quite emotional."

With a small nod, the nurse departed and Sarah gained her first glance of Coop Burtonburger.


	2. Chapter One: Coop Burtonburger

**Chapter One: Coop Burtonburger**

A sterile scent wafted in from the hospital room, as a lone bed lay occupied. A ray of bright sunlight cut in through the sole window, alighting the usually drab walls. Around the bed was decorated with a variety of medical instruments, monitoring the fragile boy they were connected to.

It was difficult to believe that there was a boy underneath those sheets. They were ruffled around his body, hiding the lithe form underneath. The steady beep of the heart monitor filled an otherwise quiet room.

Coop Burtonburger lay injured in the bed breathing steadily. His eyes were unfocused and he sat faced towards the open window. Dim light flittered in, casting the silhouette of the father over the wall. With his back facing the door, Bert Burtonburger sat awkwardly in the only chair, his limbs stiff and unmoveable.

As Sarah opened the door wide it creaked, causing the father and son to look up at her. Mr. Burtonburger's face was unforgettable. It was a bright red. His eyes were tired and glazed over with old, fallen tears. As his hair was greasy and thin, like he hadn't showered in days. It looked like he had been through hell. Sarah felt apprehensive. It was going to be difficult to persuade this man to let her speak alone with his child.

Sarah cleared her throat and spoke softly to Bert, "Hi, I'm Sarah Dermott from CPS. Could I speak with you for a moment Mr. Burtonburger?"

Bert looked worriedly at Sarah then glanced down at his son.

"It's fine Dad. I'm not going anywhere," Coop encouraged his father.

"Okay fine," Burt begrudgingly agreed.

He rose slowly from his chair and strolled over to Sarah who was still standing by the door. He avoided eye contact with her and pushed past to wait outside in the corridor. Sarah took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the clean chemical smell of the room, and then turned around to follow Burt into the empty hallway.

"Mr. Burtonburger as you'd already know CPS has launched an investigation towards your son Coop. The injuries he has sustained suggest a level of…" Sarah was interrupted as Burt glared harshly at her.

"Ms Dermott, if you're suggesting that I'm the one to blame, then you'd be terribly mistaken! I'd never hurt my son! I love him! How dare you accuse me of abusing him! THIS IS A…" Bert's voice slowly increased in volume until he was yelling at Sarah's calm form.

"Mr Burtonburger!" Sarah shouted to get his attention, "If you would let me finish. I was going to say that I'm here for both you and Coop. It's my responsibility to assess how the injuries came to place, not to place blame on the parents. I want to work with the both of you, not to cause more upset."

Her face softened as Burt looked ashamedly at the ground.

"I'm here to help Coop and make sure that no further harm comes to him."

Burt still looked unsure but nodded his head in acceptance.

"Now, I need to talk to Coop alone and I just require your consent."

"Ms Dermott, Coop is still recovering! His injuries…" Burt began to panic.

"Mr Burtonburger, I've been all cleared with his nurse and he seemed coherent enough to speak with me."

Burt glanced at the door.

"Okay," he whispered, giving her the all clear.

"Thank you," Sarah smiled then headed back into the room, closing the door shut behind her.

She strolled over to the wooden chair that was left vacated from Bert. Sarah pulled the chair over to the bed and sat down next to Coop, who jumped at the sudden closeness of another person.

"Hello Coop. My name's Sarah. Is it okay if I sit down and have a chat with you?"

Coop looked apprehensive and watched Sarah carefully as she pulled out a pen, opening one of the folders she carried. He nodded warily and pulled the covers tight around his chest.

"Sure."

Sarah smiled kindly and began to take notes, recording what she observed about Coop. She began a short rapport building phase. Which she would use to determine Coop's developmental level, communication skills and to create an element of comfort between them.

"How are you feeling Coop? I heard you got out of surgery a couple of days ago."

"Yeah it was pretty scary. I didn't feel anything though. They gave me some sleeping gas, the doctors I mean, and then I woke up in here. I feel really lousy and sore all over. Where's my Dad?" Coop sat up and looked behind Sarah.

"Your father is just outside the room. He wanted to give us some privacy while we talked for a bit."

"I'm not a moron. I know why you're here," Coop glared.

"You do?" Sarah questioned politely.

"Yeah, I heard the nurses talking to my Dad about it. They think I'm being hurt by someone I know."

"You're a smart boy, Coop. I'm here for Child Protection Services. You're not in any trouble. I'm simply gathering more information," Sarah reassured him.

"Okay," Coop nodded but was still on high alert.

"Can you tell me what happened for you to end up in hospital?"

"I wasn't careful enough. I should have expected another attack!"

Sarah was taken aback by the brash response but quickly schooled her face into one of calm control.

"Tell me more," Sarah encouraged Coop, needing to understand who was harming him.

"You won't believe me. Nobody ever believes me," Coop looked away suddenly depressed.

"You can always talk to me. I won't be mad at you."

"Y-you want to listen to my side?" Coop was surprised.

Apparently nobody at home let him explain himself.

"Of course Coop. Now why were you expecting an attack?"

"It's… well… This is kind of hard to say," Coop bit his lip in worry.

"I know sometimes it's hard to talk about things that have happened to you, but I talk to lots of children about things bothering them. It's always okay to tell me about anything, even secrets. You aren't going to get into any trouble," Sarah needed to know.

"It was Kat! You see he's really an alien cat. I mean he's my sister's cat now, but… Sorry, I'm not explaining it right," Coop rushed through.

"It's okay. Take your time," Sarah kept her face blank, letting Coop tell his story.

She would worry about the believability later.

"My sister Millie found a stray cat a couple of months ago, in the reservation forest behind our house. We couldn't find its owner so Dad let her keep it. She calls it Mr Kat, original right? Anyway I found out that Kat is really a super-smart alien who is trying to take over the world. But I'm always there to stop him! It's just that this time he caught me off guard…"

"So your sister's pet cat has been fighting with you. Is that how you got your injuries?"

"Yes, he pushed me down the stairs, then… Well then… I don't exactly remember but I know Dad found me a few hours later. Kat had really hurt me this time," Coop seemed angry at him.

"So this occurs often? This, Mr Kat, hurts you a lot?" Sarah was excited about an admission of actual harm.

"Nearly every day! He is trying to ruin my life and I just let him do it. God, I'm so stupid. How can I protect the world, if I can't even protect myself?!" Coop was working himself up into frenzy of self hatred.

"It is not your fault Coop. You are not to blame," Sarah strongly told him. Children that are abused often place the blame on themselves, "I appreciate you telling me."

"So you really believe me. That Kat is an evil alien and that all the bad things in my life are caused by him," Coop looked imploringly into Sarah's eyes, begging her for the reassurance he needed.

"I do believe that someone is hurting you. You did the right thing in telling me. Is there anything else you want to talk about?" Sarah avoided the subject.

"Don't tell Dad this but I'm kind of glad I'm in the hospital. Not because I'm hurt but because I know I'm safe here. Kat would've creamed me if I was fighting injured," Coop brushed off his injuries as a minor inconvenience.

"Doesn't your Dad know about Mr Kat? What about your sister, does she know?"

"Nobody but me. Oh and also Dennis. He's my best friend. Sometimes he helps me stop Kat's plans."

Sarah took note to ask Dennis about Coop and Mr Kat.

"Have you tried talking to him about it? Hasn't he noticed the cat's odd behaviour or all these injuries you keep getting?"

"I've tried a hundred times to tell him but he just thinks I'm crazy! I've tried talking to Millie, to my teachers, to anyone but they all just laugh in my face. Only Dennis believes me," Coop said defeated, as he began to rub his tired eyes.

"What about your injuries? Hasn't anyone noticed?"

"Nobody notices anything. I usually hide any injuries I get. I mean I don't want anyone to worry. I would have hidden these ones too, if Dad hadn't found me." Coop yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes again.

Sarah knew that he was too exhausted to carry on.

"Thank you for talking to me. You're really brave to tell me about Mr Kat. I'll get your Dad now and let you have some rest."

"Bye, Sarah," Coop closed his eyes and rested his head back against his pillows.

Sarah approached the closed door and opened it, walking out into the corridor. Bert was pacing up and down. He stopped when he saw Sarah exit the room.

"Thank you for your patience Mr. Burtonburger."

"Is Coop alright?"

Bert advanced towards her.

"He's doing well considering. Would it be okay if I could talk to you as well? We could meet later in the food court, perhaps after lunch."

Bert was silent then nodded his acceptance.

"Okay. I'll meet you after lunch. I better get back to my son," and with that final statement Bert marched back into his son's room.

Sarah needed some time to think. Coop had shocked her with the story he told. Had the stress of the abuse caused him to imagine the household pet, as the one harming him? Sarah thought about the symptoms Coop displayed. He was clearly confused and showed high levels of paranoia. The hallucinations about the cat were disturbing. False delusions had him strongly believe that something was real when it was absolutely impossible. She had observed mood swings and changed behavioural patterns.

As Sarah entered the elevator to go down, the answer suddenly hit her. Brief Reactive Psychosis, where psychotic symptoms appear after a major stress. This was good news because recovery was often quick but this made things harder for her. How was she supposed to discover the true perpetrator to the abuse, when the victim was deluded?

The elevator dinged and Sarah exited hurriedly, making her way down the hall and into the food court. She chose a secluded table, placing her handbag on the opposite chair and dumping her folders onto the plastic surface. Sarah unclipped a pen and began to write down her discoveries. She had a few hours before interviewing Mr. Burtonburger. So she decided to go through the notes she had written during her conversation with Coop.

Sarah had recorded any behavioural or physical signs that indicated child abuse. Foremost were the unlikely explanations for his injuries and the little emotion he expressed towards them. Coop demonstrated a fear of going home, a place that should be safe and comfortable to him. This was a sign that the abuse was occurring in the house. He showed a level of self-destructive tendencies, especially self loathing. Coop also had an adverse reaction to physical contact, shying away from touch and flinching at sudden movement. He was watchful, always prepared for something bad to happen.

She closed the folder and stretched her fingers, cramped from writing for the past hour. Sarah definitely had a strong case of child abuse but being able to pinpoint the perpetrator was another case altogether.


End file.
